Four Jordanian youth given ‘seat at the table’ in COP27

AMMAN — Four Jordanian youth from different governorates are joining the official delegation of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) held in Egypt.

The selection process was based on participation in the two-day Local Conference of Youth “held under the banner of ‘YOUNGO’, the official youth constituency of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change”, which provided 100 Jordanian youth and adolescents with the opportunity to benefit from training workshops and take part in discussions with peers, experts and specialists, according to Adolescent and Youth Development Specialist at UNICEF Jordan Besan Abdel Qader.

In a recent interview with The Jordan Times, she said that the participants worked together on identifying top issues and priorities relating to climate change in Jordan. 

This resulted in a jointly written policy paper involving a set of recommendations focused on water scarcity, increasing green spaces and waste management, which was presented during the launch event of the Sawn Programme for Youth Climate Action.

The Sawn programme was launched on October 26 by UNICEF Jordan and Generations For Peace in cooperation with the Ministry of Youth, the Ministry of Environment and the Nahno volunteer platform, supported by Al Etihad Bank and the Korea International Cooperation Agency. 

“It aims to raise youth awareness about local and global climate and environmental issues and enhance their contribution to mitigating the effects of climate change,” she added, noting that the programme will provide 36 Jordanian youth from all 12 governorates with intensive training sessions on climate action as well as advocacy and leadership tools.

These participants will then “take the wheel and train another 100 young people, who will engage 10,000 children and youth in advocacy and environmental initiatives”, Abdel Qader continued.

She also pointed out that although children and youth contributed the least to climate change, they are the most affected. 

“They are the generation that will inherit the responsibility to deal with its impacts in the future. That’s why UNICEF believes that it’s important to give youth a leading role and bring their voices to the table in dealing with this crisis in order to enable them to be change makers,” Abdel Qader said. 

The Jordan Times spoke with two of these four young people representing Jordan about their passion for climate action and their plans to affect change in their communities. 

Twenty-five-year-old Anwar Nezami from Jerash noted that her “deep interest and love” for nature began in childhood and in recent years, has crystalised into a desire to actively protect it. 

She co-founded the non-profit organisation “Eco Youth Jordan”, which is focused on environmental issues and climate change education, and is headed by four young women from Jerash, Ajloun, Irbid and Amman. 

She is also the founder of the Al Noor hydroponic farm, which utilises modern agricultural systems and technologies with the goal of achieving food security. 

“We’re taking part in COP27 because we believe that youth can be drivers of change with valuable contributions, and not just victims,” Nazmi said.

Ahmad Al Rababah, 28, who comes from a line of Ajloun-based farmers, is also representing Jordan at COP27. 

His work in climate action began two years ago when he founded the first hydroponic farm in Ajloun, financed by the European Union, with a team of 19 other young people from his local community. 

He is currently head of the civil society organisation “Countryside Ambassadors for Sustainable Development”, which aims to increase green spaces in pockets of poverty through hydroponic farming. 

“This technique provided a sustainable alternative to traditional agriculture, which has become unproductive due to the low rainfall levels combined with the rising temperatures. It saved our irrigation water consumption by 80 per cent and created job opportunities in the area,” he told The Jordan Times. 

The project also organises awareness-raising sessions on the repercussions of climate change for local women and youth in Ajloun and neighbouring governorates, including Jerash and Irbid, Rababah said.

“As youth, we have hope and determination to have an active voice and a leading role in the response to climate change,” Alrababah said, noting that his climate action is motivated by his family’s strong relationship with their land. 

When they come back, the four youth will meet again with their peers to share the lessons they learned and the challenges they faced. They will also be meeting with government representatives and decision makers in order to look into ways to translate the recommendations in the policy paper into action, according to Abdel Qader. 

She noted that they will also conduct “Community Needs Assessments to determine the environmental priorities in their areas” and lead environmental initiatives supported by UNICEF.